An Interview With Sanity Falls

Sanity Falls have gone from strength to strength in the two and half years they've been together, and have received critical acclaim from the likes of Femme Metal Magazine and Tunnel Radio. Here they talk about the Femme Metal Fest, which they will be playing on Sunday 8th November.

AvernaX: How did you end up getting in the line-up for Femme Metal Fest?

Serge: We asked! We'd heard of the festival and thought it would be a great gig for us, so we contacted Femme Metal to see if they could fit us in - and they did.

AvernaX: What are you most looking forward to about playing the Femme Metal Fest?

Pete: We haven't played in London for a while, and it's always a great buzz down there, so that'll be great.

Ryan: It's going to be good to help raise money for charity too - I work for Barnardo's so I know how important fundraising events like this are.

AvernaX: Is there anyone you are especially excited about playing alongside at FMF?

Jinny: I'm just looking forward to finally playing with other female-fronted metal bands. There's a hell of a lot of talent lined up for the festival and I think the complement and contrast between the bands is going to work really well.

AvernaX: What are you hoping to gain from the experience?

Jinny: We're hoping to make some good contacts, plus being exposed to a crowd of people who are actually there specifically for the kind of music we're playing will be great for us - hopefully we'll pick up some new fans, and meeting similar bands from other countries will be good too.

AvernaX: You're also playing the Armageddon Festival in late November. What's that going to be like?

Pete: It's gonna be great because we're not gonna have to travel for four hours to get there! Haha, no, in all seriousness we love playing festivals because the variety and energy is awesome. And Conquest of Steel (the headlining band) are pretty well known in Yorkshire so there should be a good crowd there.

AvernaX: Have you played any festivals before?

Jinny: A few, but the best was definitely one we played at Leeds University for Soft Power Education, which raises money for Ugandan schools. Gigs are so much better when you know something good is going to come out of them - that's one of the reasons the Femme Metal Festival is so worth playing, because we'll get to help raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support and Cancer Research, as well as having a great day ourselves!!

AvernaX: What is the best thing about playing live shows?

Ryan: I love the rush that comes when you're on stage. Being onstage brings something out in me that I can't express anywhere else without looking like a nutcase!

Pete: We can convey something in our live shows that you just can't get across in a CD. When people come up to us at the end of a gig and let us know that they get what we're trying to do, that's what makes everything worthwhile for me.

AvernaX: Are there any rituals you have to go through before playing a live show, or good luck charms you can't go without?

Pete: I go outside, away from everyone else, and mentally go through the entire setlist in my head. It's like a mental rehearsal.

Jinny: I never wear shoes onstage. Ever. Does that count?

AvernaX: What is one of the most memorable experiences you have from gigging?

Pete: The first gig Ryan played with us. He'd just joined the band and he was really nervous, so to calm himself down he made little origami animals...

Jinny: It was pretty weird. Luckily we've grown to love him.

AvernaX: What would the line-up be in your dream festival?

Pete: Necrophagist, Lamb of God and Sanity Falls.

Serge: The Faceless, Black Dahlia Murder and Lamb of God

Ryan: System of a Down, Muse and Dragonforce

Jinny: Slipknot, In Flames, The Eagles and Tori Amos... and Sanity Falls, just so we could share a stage with them!